Abu Dhabi to showcase new developments at WTM

Abu Dhabi will showcase its new hotels and resorts at this year’s World Travel Market (WTM). The emirate is seeing a development boom, with several new properties expected to open in 2012. These include a new Mandarin Oriental on Saadiyat Island and the Fairmont Abu Dhabi, both of which will be on display at the London event.The emirate is now in the second year of a three-year ‘Premier Partner’ deal with WTM. It hopes to use this year’s event to target emerging markets such as Russia, India and Korea.Mubarak al Nuaimi, international promotions manager for the Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority said: “Visitors to this year’s Abu Dhabi pavilion at World Travel Market will find a host of business opportunities in the form of brand new attractions, superb new beachfront resorts and city centre hotels as well as world-class events ideal for packaging and leveraging. “WTM 2011 will be the travel industry’s opportunity to engage with a destination which is receiving record numbers of hotel guests and which is prioritising tourism in its long-term economic and social development plans,” he added. WTM chairman Fiona Jeffery added: “Abu Dhabi is booming in terms of hotel and resort openings and visitor arrivals. We’re delighted to see our strong partnership is reaping rewards for the destination and looking forward to helping it showcase its latest developments.”